Tab vs glove pro's and con's list thread

[Dave Bulla]

Okie dokie

At the risk of making an @$$ out of myself, I thought I'd start something that might help out some of the new guys and even some of the not so new ones who have a mind to try something new.  I'd also like to have you all join in and give some personal insights to whichever you prefer and why.

Seems that there is always a thread asking which is better, tab or glove.  Always lots of opinions for both sides.  Personally, I'm a tab guy but I started with a glove as a kid and still have a couple laying around.  I thought I'd post a couple pictures of things that I feel make or break either option and some things that get overlooked.

First off, regardless of tab or glove, I feel there is nothing that beats cordovan leather.  Secondly, cordovan is NOT just a leather dye color.  Real cordovan is both a process and type.  It is made from horse hide and comes from the rear quarters only.  It is also a tanning process used on this hide and it results in a very durable, slick leather that exceeds all others for wear and shine.  The best leather shoes in the world are made from cordovan and so are the best tabs and gloves.

Other products like calf hair, plastic, vinyl or deer skin all have certain properties that make them special but in my opinion, none provide the across the board qualities that cordovan does.  Calf hair is slicker when new but does not last.  Plastic and vinyl are waterproof and slick but can be stiff and honestly, I just prefer the feel of leather over plastic.  Deerskin is the softest, most pliable but wears poorly, grooves easily and is not slick like cordovan.

So, for some pictures.

Here are two Bateman cordovan tabs and a cordovan glove.  Not certain but the glove may be by Bateman also.  The tab on the left has been shot only a little bit while the tab on the right was misplaced for a few days.  The tab on the right has been used for thousands of shots and is about 4 years old.  These things just get better and slicker with age.  Note also that while the well used tab is curled somewhat, there is not really any sign of a groove that is normal on other leathers.  

The glove has not been very heavily used compared to my tab.  I got it with the intent to use it and give the glove a fair try and have shot it a fair bit but in the end, went back to my tab for reasons I'll get to later.
   


Why do I like a tab????

Well, to me they feel more natural.  I like being able to wear one over a regular glove when hunting and I like having my fingers free for other things.  But mainly, I can feel my anchor better with a PROPERLY fitting tab than with a glove.  

I actually started this whole topic because on another thread currently going, one of the most common comments against a tab is that people say they can't feel their anchor as well and that is simply not my experience at all.  

The biggest reason is that people buy the wrong size tab to begin with.  Here is a picture of my hand and two tabs.  As you can see, I've got pretty good sized hands.

   

In all sorts of work gloves, dress gloves or whatever, I need at LEAST extra large size due to long fingers.  Know what size tab I shoot????  Medium.  I can use a large tab and that is what is on the left but I prefer the medium.

Here is a pic of what it looks like when I'm holding the string with a medium tab.

   

And here is with a large tab.

   

Now, look at them and think about what you would feel when shooting.  The medium tab would feel like you are shooting with bare fingers as far as how you feel your anchor.  Nothing but fingertips against your face.  With the large tab, you would feel the edge of the leather against your face and it might feel like your anchor is being forced away from your face.  So I can see how people say that but honestly, to me, all gloves do the same thing with the exception of a glove that has the tips of your fingers exposed and there doesn't seem to be many made that way.

Here is a picture of my cordovan glove.  Note the slight groove in each finger stall.  Note also that the grooves are not all in line with each other.  To me, this is one small advantage of a tab that helps provide a smoother release.  I will be fair and say that the groove is not so much a property of the leather as it is of the glove.  The leather is the same in the glove and the tab but in the glove it is formed to your finger and forced to bend in the crease of your knuckle.  I believe this is what causes the crease more so than the string.  Either way, it's not a big deal since your fingers line up on the string when you pull but I believe that for a guy like me who is not a crack shot that a tab provides just a little bit of forgiveness in my release that is lacking in a glove.  I think that sometimes, if you don't get your fingers aligned exactly right, you can get a bad release with the glove that wouldn't have happened with the tab.  I also expect that guys who shoot all the time with a glove and are good shots have simply learned to be more precise in their finger placement whether they realize it or not.

   

Well, this is already getting long so I'll post one more picture for now that shows something I feel is important in the design of a glove for good comfort.  That is that the seams of the glove should NOT be along the sides like a work glove but should be along the top where they are completely out of the way to avoid finger pinch.

   

This particular glove is very comfortable to shoot but to make it perfect (as far as a glove can get anyway...      :D    ) I'd have to cut the tips out so my finger tips stuck out just a little bit.  That way it would allow the same sense of feel I get with my tab.  But if I did that, I might have to admit that a glove is as good as a tab and I can't do that can I??

So, whadaya think?

Who wants to brag up their glove and show some pictures???  

How about some of you tab guys jumping in too???

Lets start the year off with a good honest debate and keep the swords sharp.  But remember, "play nice".

[lpcjon2]

I like a glove IMO it feels like a controlled extension of my fingers.  

[ron w]

I have both ,I shoot with both,and both my gloves and tabs are cordavan. They seem to get better with age and use.

[George D. Stout]

Tab here.  I have shot both, but the tab is more consistent and can be used over a wool glove.  It doesn't crease like a glove and you can flip it around your finger so it's out of the way to tie nock sets, etc.  I cut mine to where they are comfortable....don't like extra leather too far past the finger crease, just enough to cover the string and fingers.

[Kenneth]

I like a tab for all the reasons George stated above.  I've tried several different gloves and I couln't get as clean a release with them and I also had a lot of discomfort due to the tips squashing/pinching the sides of my finger tips against my nails.

I use a medium tab without gloves and a large when I'm wearing gloves.

[cbelcher]

I like the glove because I have forgot a tab in the past, but I have never forgot my fingers.

[spotteddog]

Thanks Dave that helped a lot and liked the visual aids. Can't wait to try my tab when it get here. May have to trim it like George does. Thanks again. Philip

[pitbull]

I've shot both and prefer the glove. All gloves are not created equal. Mine has no seams and has cordura fingers which never crease and is very slick. I feel I have better control and feel with the glove and it is always where I want it.

[Gene Charbonneau]

I like a tab over a glove and a tab with a separator.

I am using the NEET "Pinch Free"

I seem to have a tendency to pinch arrows without the separator.

Looks like I am going to try to find a Cordovan tab with separator.

Thanks for the tip, Dave.

[Dave Bulla]

OK, now for one more advantage of the tab over the glove.

Even though I shoot a tab with a spacer, my spare tab that I carry for "emergencies" is a traditional tab with a finger hole in the leather.  Why carry a different tab for a backup?  Well because it fits in my wallet that's why!  By putting this type of tab in my wallet, I always have my spare on hand.  

Here's a pic of both the Bateman tab with elastic band and spacer and the Neet traditional style.  By the way, the Neet tab has shot even more arrows than the Bateman and is about 10 years or more old.  It's been shot so much that the suede backing layer is smooth and shiny.



You can see in this last picture that the tab with the spacer would never store in my wallet.  I don't really feel going from a tab with a spacer to one without is an issue for me either.

[Charles K.]

I shoot the tab, BUT I take out the rubber spacer....seems to feel better for me that way.
I like tabs because I like the way they feel on my fingertips.

[Steve O]

Dave, excellent idea for a thread.

I started with a glove but switched to a tab a long time ago.  Now, if I ever try out a glove, I feel like I am anchoring 3" from my face.  I like the feeling of MY fingertip on my tooth, not a big thick hunk of leather I guess.

[lodestar]

Bare fingers...
   Pro's- Cant forget them in the truck. Never have to be replaced.
   
   Con's- Occasionally the calouses fall off   and I have to burn them on the stove for a couple of days to get them back.

[Rob DiStefano]

subjective stuff.

wanna know what works best for YOU?  try out both types.

i like tabs only - a more naturally soft feel on the string, better string release, easy to make.  i make mine outta 6 or 7 ounce latigo chromed leather.

[hawkeye n pa]

I'm a glove fan..  For me I can get off a much faster shot.  The string can  get between fingers and tab if your not watching.  Not so with a glove.

                           Jeff

[crandog]

I also vote for the tab purely due to the anchor point thing but I've always wondered why Howard Hill, Fred Bear, and Byron Fergueson all shoot a glove!

[unregistered]

As Dennis Kamstra once wrote "you can't pick your nose with a glove". Tabs win hands down.

[Dave Bulla]

Okay, question.

All you guys who shoot a tab, do you size yours about the same as me or do you have more tab sticking out?

You guys who say you have tried a tab and didn't like it because it got in the way of your anchor, how big was your tab?  Would you be willing to try again with it trimmed down a bit?

[Rob DiStefano]

i trim my tabs as small as possible.

[unregistered]

I just use mine as is. Never thought about trimming it. Might give it a try.